Jesus in the Feasts of the Lord Bible Study - Complete Series

by I Gordon
jesusplusnothing.com

PDF Version available here

Jesus in the 7 Feasts of the Lord: An Introduction and Overview

---

This is the introduction to the introduction to the Seven Feasts of the Lord... if that makes sense! So let me ask you a question as we begin: When is the last time you did a study on the Feasts of the Lord? When is the last time you heard a sermon on them or read a book about them? For the majority of Christians I think it is fair to say that some common answers could well include the words 'long time', 'never' or 'what feasts?' If you are a student of Bible prophecy then the answer could, or should, be different. I think all Christians will have heard something about the feasts for, at the very least, all Christians should be familiar with the terms Passover and Pentecost (which of course are two of the feasts).

Let me just say right from the start here that the feasts which God gave to the nation of Israel (and are often called the feasts of Israel) are incredible in their truth about Jesus and for their prophetic revelation concerning God's plan to redeem and retake this planet. I thought I had a good understanding of the feasts before I did a recent study on them... but I was wrong! My understanding was very limited compared to what I discovered! So whether you think you know the feasts well and hardly at all, I can honestly say that this is a very important topic to study once again. It is one that will only become all the more important as we edge closer to the return of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of these feasts.

Now, this is simply an overview and introduction to the series. Following this I will do a separate study on each of the seven feasts. But let's start with a series of questions to get the grey matter firing (or maybe misfiring as the case may be!)

Questions, questions, questions...

Let's start with some general questions and then I'll give the answers. For the sake of not crushing your confidence too early, we'll start off pretty easy and leave some tougher ones for later : )

That will be enough questions for now. Have you given it some thought?¹ Now for the answers!

Some answers to questions you may not have been asking...

In giving these answers, I will also try to add a few related thoughts where appropriate.

So what exactly is a 'feast' then?

Leviticus 23:2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

There are two important words that we need to concentrate on in this passage that will help answer what exactly a feast is. The first is 'feast' and the second is 'assemblies' (or 'convocations' in some other versions.) If you are like me, when you hear 'feast' you think 'food'... and possibly/hopefully lots of it. But that isn't what this word means. The Hebrew word is 'mo'ed' which means 'an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival'. The second interesting word is 'assemblies' or 'convocations'. The Hebrew word used is 'miqra' which means 'something called out, that is, a public meeting.' But it also has the thought of 'a rehearsal'. So God was setting up a 'fixed time' during the year when the nation of Israel would be 'called out' to gather together, every year, to 'rehearse' future coming events. God would get them to rehearse this year after year after year... And whatever it is that they had to rehearse for centuries on end it must be important!

So let me ask you: If you had all the events of mankind's history to chose from, which seven events would you choose as the most important to celebrate each year?² What we find is that each of the feasts find their fulfillment in the life of the Messiah Jesus and God's plan to redeem this world! Specifically, the feasts center in on the Messiah's death, burial and resurrection, the Holy Spirit's indwelling, the rapture and resurrection of believers, the second coming of Christ and finally the coming Messianic Kingdom. Great stuff! Let's have a look at a brief overview of what is taught in each feast.

Overview of the feasts

Each of the seven feasts has a historical, Messianic and personal significance associated with them. This is displayed in the following table:

Feast / Date	Historical Significance	Messianic Significance	Personal Significance
Passover Nisan 14	Freedom from the slavery of Egypt. Lamb slain and blood applied	Jesus' death as the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world	Redemption: Our deliverance from this world into the family of God through faith in the Son of God
Unleavened Bread Nisan 15-22	Exodus in haste from Egypt	Jesus' sinless life and his burial	Sanctification: Our walk with God - being free from the leaven of sin that corrupts
Firstfruits Day after Sabbath following Passover	Firstfruits of the harvest. Celebrates the crossing of the Red Sea	Jesus' resurrection from the dead as the firstfruits of the New Creation	Consecration: Living in newness of life as a New Creation in Christ and offering ourselves back to Him.
Pentecost 50 days after firstfruits	Remembering the giving of the law (Torah) on Sinai	The coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell believers	Dependence: Walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and following the law of the spirit of life
Trumpets Tishri 1-2	Jewish New Year. Celebrates the creation of the world	The rapture and resurrection of believers Crowning of King Jesus	Watchful/Warfare: Living in view of His imminent return. Being watchful and ready.
Day of Atonement Tishri 10	Holiest Day and national forgiveness	The second coming of Christ in power. National day of atonement and forgiveness for Israel.	Repentance: Before the Lord and yielding ourselves up to Him.
Tabernacles Tishri 15-22	Celebration in coming into the Promised Land.	The 1000 year Messianic Kingdom on Earth.	Rest: Living in the rest and joy that is in Christ in our daily lives today

Or, to display it a little differently, here is a chart that shows the order, separation and prophetic significance of each feast.

Conclusion

So as we move forward with these studies we will examine what we can learn from:

• The Biblical account of the feasts

• Aspects of the Jewish observance of each feast

• The Messianic / prophetic significance of the feasts

• The personal spiritual reality of each feast today

Now it should be said nice and clearly that I am by no means an expert in this. It seems the more you study this topic the more it opens and reveals new revelation! So I have definitely 'not arrived' and nor will I. I am simply learning about these highly significant Jewish feasts and trying to pass on some of the interesting little 'nuggests'. I have very much enjoyed studying this topic and have been amazed at what God has hidden in 'the feasts of the Lord'!

Finally I want to mention a couple of books that have helped in this topic which I will be quoting from occasionally.

•  The Seven Festivals of the Messiah - Edward Chumney (this is a very detailed book which will be very useful if you want to study this topic in a lot more detail.)

•  Unlocking the secrets of the Feasts - Michael Norton (a smaller, quicker read but with some interesting information)

• After the Rapture - Jerry L. Dart (a very comprehensive book on Bible prophecy/end times in general but includes useful information on the 'days of awe' between the feast of Trumpets and the day of Atonement.)

• I have also read smaller pamphlets on the Feasts by Jewish believers Arnold Fructenbaum and Zola Levitt which were useful.

Appendix - Jewish Holy Days: The Making of a Baby

In 1979 Zola Levitt published a booklet called 'The Seven Feasts of Israel'. Part 2 of the booklet was a fascinating account of how the feasts relate to the development of the baby in the womb. Yes, you read that right! The following is an overview of Levitt's findings written by J.R Church. I think you'll find it as amazing as I did as it testifies to the One who designed both!

Zola Levitt discovered an amazing correlation between Jewish Holy Days and the gestation of a human baby, from conception to birth. While preparing for writing a book for new parents, Zola contacted a gynecologist for some help in understanding gestation. During that session, the gynecologist showed him a series of pictures, pointed to the first one (an egg and a sperm) and said, "On the fourteenth day of the first month, the egg appears." The statement struck a chord in his Jewish mind because that was the date of Passover. He remembered the roasted egg on his family table every Passover. Now, for the first time, he knew what it meant! Not wanting to lead the gynecologist off from the subject at hand, he didn't say anything, but continued to listen.

The gynecologist continued: "The egg must be fertilized within 24 hours, or it will pass on." This reminded Zola of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the seed or grain that "fell into the ground and died" in order to produce a harvest, the firstfruits of which was presented to God. Next, the gynecologist said, "Within two to six days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the womb and begins to grow." And, sure enough, the Jewish evangelist thought, "The Feast of Firstfruits is observed anywhere from two to six days after Passover!"

Next, he was shown a photo of an embryo showing arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, a head, eyes, etc. The caption said, "Fifty days." The gynecologist continued, "Around the fiftieth day, the embryo takes on the form of a human being. Until then, we don't know if we have a duck or a tadpole." Zola thought, "That's Pentecost!"

The next picture showed the embryo at seven months. The gynecologist said, "On the first day of the seventh month, the baby's hearing is developed. For the first time, it can hear and distinguish sounds outside the womb." Zola knew that was the date for the Jewish Festival of Trumpets.

The gynecologist continued, "On the tenth day of the seventh month, the hemoglobin of the blood changes from that of the mother, to a self-sustaining baby." Zola thought, "That's the Day of Atonement, when the blood was taken into the Holy of holies!"

Next, the gynecologist said, "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the lungs become fully developed. If born before then, the baby would have a hard time breathing." And Zola thought, "That's the festival of Tabernacles, a time of celebrating the Temple, home of the Shekinah glory or Spirit of God." In the New Testament, the Greek term pneuma, normally translated as "breath," is applied to the "Holy Spirit."

Birth takes place on the tenth day of the ninth month. Eight days after birth, in Jewish families, a son is circumcised. Zola noted that the eight days of Hanukkah are celebrated right on schedule, nine months and ten days after Passover.

No human being could have understood the gestation period 3,500 years ago. The establishment of the Jewish Holy Days was given to Moses by Jehovah, Himself. Its correlation with the human gestation period is not only remarkable; it proves "Intelligent Design." It proves the existence of an intelligence beyond this world. It proves that there is a Creator God that guides the affairs of man.

1. The Sacrifice - Jesus in the Feast of Passover

---

As we saw in the introduction to this series, God has selected seven different events in the history of the world for the nation of Israel to rehearse year upon year through the observance of a feast. God instructed Israel to keep specific feasts at key appointed times throughout the year as a lasting ordinance. Now let me say that these feasts are amazing in the clear portrayal of Jesus' death, burial, resurrection and the events surrounding His return. The first feast that we will study is Passover. It is interesting that God didn't give a feast concerning the birth of Jesus or even his earthly ministry... the first feast goes right to the heart of Christianity with His death - the cross and crucifixion of Christ. In this study, and in subsequent studies in this series, we will look at the Biblical passages concerning each feast as well as examining what we can learn from the Jewish observance of each feast. For each feast we will explore the Messianic significance of the feast as well as what we can learn for our own personal lives. Let's dive right in to this very interesting Bible study topic! 

Background to the exodus

The nation of Israel had been down in Egypt for 430 years (Exo 12:40-41). While it started fine while Joseph was alive, the subsequent generations of Israelites became slaves to the Egyptians. As their bondage increased and their cries came before Heaven, God remembered the promises that He had made to their fathers - the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of a great nation with a land of their own. And so, in the fullness of time, God instructed Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. But that was easier said than done for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was not about to let them go. His heart was hardened and he wanted to keep the Israelites enslaved. So a series of judgments were brought against Egypt but still Pharaoh would not relent. Finally, through the Passover (and the death of every firstborn male child in Egypt) Pharaoh relented and let them go. Well, for a while anyway! But that part of the story can await another study!

It is interesting to see even in this background how this historical event is also a picture of the believers salvation. Egypt is a type of the world. Just as Egypt was under the control of Pharaoh so this world lies in the power of Satan, the evil one. (1 John 5:19) The slavery of the Israelites in Egypt pictures the slavery to sin that imprisons those in the world (John 8:34). Just as Pharaoh was not about to let go of his slaves, so Satan will do all he can to hold onto those who haven't yet seen the truth (2 Cor 4:4). But there is hope! Just as God provided a way of escape for the Israelites through the blood of the 'Passover Lamb' so there is salvation today in the one who is the true Lamb of God - Jesus Christ. So let's explore God's way of escape through the Passover.

What does the Bible say about the Passover?

	So lets look at this way of escape. Lets look at how the Israelites were able to escape the clutches of Pharaoh and how believers today are freed from their debt and slavery to sin. The historical account of this is given in Exodus 12. (See also an earlier look at the Passover here if interested.) We'll look at each verse and add some thoughts on how this is fulfilled from both a Messianic and personal application. The Messianic application is obviously what Jesus did to fulfil this feast. The personal aspect is how we appropriate and apply this truth.
Verse	Messianic Fulfillment / Personal Application
Exodus 12:1-2 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, (2) This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.	God changes Israel's calendar to make this month, the month of Nisan, their first. To this day the nation of Israel has both a civil and religious calendar that have different start and end points.3 Now why would God do that? Simply put, from a spiritual point of view everything starts at the Passover. When someone believes in Jesus as the lamb that was sacrificed for their sin, they are born again and are a new creation. It is a whole new beginning for them as a child of God. It all starts here and that is what God wants to emphasise. Have you experienced that? There is a new life in Christ.
Exodus 12:3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.	This verse shows how the Passover affects EVERYONE. The whole community of Israel had to be involved. 'Each man' had to take a lamb for their household. God doesn't have a plan B here. This is His way and it affects everyone. We will see later that this process really was, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Note also that it was on the 10th of Nisan that the lamb was taken. In direct fulfillment of this, Nisan 10 was the day that Jesus presented Himself to Israel by riding into Jerusalem on a foal of a donkey.
Exodus 12:4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.	There was not to be any of the lamb left over - it had to be fully consumed. So if a household was too small to finish the entire lamb they could join with their neighbours. The Rabbi's would later declare that a lamb should be for 10 or more people but no more than 20. So a single family may be insufficient for a lamb but the lamb would never be insufficient for the family! This verse drives home the point how Jesus, as the true lamb of God, would give all. It would not be a partial sacrifice and He would pay for all sins and be 'fully consumed'.
Exodus 12:5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.	The animal was to be a male without defect. In terms of the fulfillment of this being a male, the letter of Romans tells us that '...For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!' (Romans 5:15) But notice also that the scripture had to be fulfilled by a male that was without defect... and they are not so easy to come by! Well, in all of human history this planet has only seen one. Peter tells us that believers have been redeemed 'with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.' (1 Pet 1:19)
Exodus 12:6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.	The people were to keep, care and inspect their lamb from the 10th of Nisan until the 14th. It would then be killed at twilight. The Bible Knowledge commentary says that 'twilight' is between the suns decline and sunset (3-5pm). In direct fulfillment of this, Jesus died on the 14th of Nisan at this exact time, 3pm, while that nation of Israel was beginning the process of killing their lambs.4 Notice also in the passage how all the people had to slaughter their lamb.5 This shows us that all were involved in Jesus' death. Not just the Jews, not just the Romans... He died for your sin and mine. We all played a part.
Exodus 12:7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.	With the lamb dead, the people then had to do two things: 1) They had to apply the blood onto the doorframes of their house and 2) they had to eat the lamb. Jesus Christ died for everyone but not everyone applies the results of His death to their life. John 6:53-54 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. (54) "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.' We apply the affects of His death by believing in Him and His work on our behalf, by receiving Him into our life and by feeding on His word.
Exodus 12:8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast (leaven).	It had to be eaten the same night for God's judgment and wrath poured out upon Jesus would be complete on that same day - the 14th Nisan. Notice also that it was eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The bitter herbs reminded the Israelites of the bitterness they experienced in their life of slavery in Egypt. In like manner it reminds the believer of what their life was like before knowing the Lord. The unleavened bread reminds us that Jesus was sinless and that we are now 'unleavened' in Him (1 Cor 5:7). It also reminds us of the ongoing need for a holy walk.
Exodus 12:9-10 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts. (10) Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.	The lamb could not be eaten raw or boiled. It had to be roasted with fire. Fire speaks of the judgment of God (Mal 3:1-5, 4:1-3, Matt 3:12) which would consume the lamb of God upon the cross. Any of the lamb that was left had to be fully burned. Again this is pointing to the fact that Jesus' judgment was complete. The fires of God's wrath burned out upon the cross for all those that will place their trust in Him. But wrath remains for those that will not believe. John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Exodus 12:11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.	For the Israelites, the Passover was eaten in haste because they were to quickly leave Egypt and embark on their journey to the Promised Land. This has its fulfillment in the life of the believer today. We also should realise that believing and partaking of Christ begins a whole new journey. We are not to stay where we were in worldly thoughts and actions. The sandals should be on our feet and the staff in our hand for the new life is before us.
Exodus 12:12 On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.	For those in Egypt, who didn't have the blood applied over their household, God would strike down the firstborn of both men and animals. Why the firstborn you ask? In the Bible the firstborn often speaks of our natural, fleshly birth in comparison to our second 'spiritual' birth.6 The point is that we must be born again. The world is under the judgment of God. But there is away of escape provided by God Himself!
Exodus 12:13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.	In the days of the Exodus, the angel of death came and 'passed over' any that had the blood over their door frames. But death came to those that weren't under the blood. Please note that this salvation from the angel of death didn't come down to personal worthiness. The angel didn't go inside the house and see whether the inhabitants were worthy through their own righteousness to be spared. No! It just came down to whether they had believed God and followed that by eating the lamb and applying its blood as he had commanded. It is the same today. The provision of salvation is there to be accepted by grace through faith. It doesn't come down to personal worthiness. Only the Lamb is worthy! But we must follow God's way of salvation and not our own!
Exodus 12:14 This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD-- a lasting ordinance.	God wanted this day to be celebrated as a lasting ordinance among the children of Israel. Each year, between the 10th and 14th of Nisan this feast was celebrated. But also remember that is a rehearsal. It is a shadow of the reality that is in Christ. It is a pointer to the true Passover - the Lord Jesus Christ - the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.7

Jewish Observance

'Seder' (meaning order, arrangement) is the name given to the Jewish traditional observance of the Passover feast. The 'Seder' is generally a fifteen step process⁸ of celebrating the Passover and feast of Unleavened Bread. One aspect I want to draw your attention to today is the four cups of wine that are used in the ceremony. Edward Chumney in his book 'The seven festivals of the Messiah' writes:

'During the course of the Seder, the four cups of wine that are served to the people present at the Seder are used in the following manner, and are called:

1. The cup of blessing (Luke 22:17; 1 Corinthians 10:16). This cup is called the cup of sanctification, or the Kiddush.
2. The cup of wrath (Luke 22:42-44). This cup is not drunk, but is poured out on the table as the plagues of Egypt are recited. Yeshua drank of this cup for us in the Garden of Gethsemane and when He died on the tree.
3. The cup of blessing, salvation, or redemption. This cup is filled to overflowing, symbolizing an overflowing salvation (Psalm 116:13).
4. The cup of the kingdom (Luke 22:18,20; Matthew 26:28-29). Yeshua spoke of eating and drinking afresh in the Messianic age with His disciples after His resurrection.'

I found this very interesting and it certainly sheds more light on 'the last supper' where Jesus wouldn't drink of the cup of the kingdom⁹:

Luke 22:15-20 And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; (16) for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." (17) And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; (18) for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes." (19) And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (20) And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

It also shed more light upon the 'cup of wrath' that He alone had to drink. As noted above, this is a cup that is poured out. Thank God again that all those that have come to know Jesus as their Passover Lamb, will not drink from God's cup of wrath. For us, it can be poured out and missed. But Jesus did drink of this cup on our behalf. This was the cup that He asked, if it were possible, might be taken from Him. Yet, even in the midst of facing such incredible difficulty, He again won the victory by finishing His prayer with the words 'yet not my will, but yours be done'. (Luke 22:42-44)

Always time for one last hymn... Especially this one!

Matthew 26:30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Bible says that at the end of the last supper, on Passover, Jesus and the disciples finished by singing a hymn and then went out to the Mount of Olives. When we think 'hymns' some beauties may come to mind like 'Amazing grace' or 'Be thou my vision'. But for the Jews, they think 'the Psalms'. On the feast days (most notably Passover and Tabernacles) the Jews would sing the 'Hallel' which is Psalms 113-118. They would close with Psalm 118 so it is likely that this was the Psalm sung by Jesus and His disciples as they finished their Passover together for the final time. Why is that interesting you ask? Well, it is interesting due to the content of the Psalm. And one final point before reading this part of this song - we need to remember that it wasn't just Jesus and the disciples singing this... it was all of Israel singing this Psalm during this special day of Passover. They were all declaring it at the top of the lungs! It is a song that the vast majority of Israel, with blinded eyes and hardened hearts, had no idea as to what they were saying at the time of Jesus' first coming. But it also foretells of a day when they will see the meaning of what they sang!

Psalms 118:21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation.

The Hebrew word for 'salvation' is 'Yeshua' - which is Jesus' name in Hebrew. The song thanks Yeshua (Jesus) for becoming my salvation.

Psalms 118:22-25 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. (23) This is the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. (24) This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (25) O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!

At this time of Passover they sung that the stone that the builders rejected (which is Jesus, Mat 21:42) has become the chief corner stone! And it is marvelous in our eyes! Again, they had no idea what they were singing at the time of Jesus' death on the cross but one day this Psalm will be sung and believed by Israel!

Psalms 118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

This is a Messianic title. They sung this to Jesus at His 'triumphant entry' but still rejected Him 4 days later. Jesus said that Israel would have to say this once more before they would see Him again (Mat 23:39). This will happen in the days leading up to the return of Jesus.

Psalms 118:27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

It is amazing that all of Israel would have been singing 'bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar' at the same time that Jesus was being nailed and possibly tied to the cross. And yet they didn't understand the truth that God had ordained for them to sing at this time.

Conclusion

We have looked briefly at the first of seven feasts that God has ordained and have seen that it is directly fulfilled in the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf. As noted, each verse in the Exodus 12 account of the Passover has direct relevance for Jesus and our life today. Chumney notes that 

'Passover ( Pesach ) has been given by the rabbis the appropriate title of the "Feast of our Freedom !!!".'  

And so it is. Everything starts with the Passover. But this is only the beginning... The next feast we will look at is that of Unleavened Bread and believe me when I say that it is equally as instructive and enlightening! God has given us His feasts as a prophetic insight into the work of the Lord Jesus Christ so we would do well to pay attention to them!

2. The Burial - Jesus in the feast of Unleavened Bread

---

This is the second Bible study in a series on the seven feasts of the Lord that God has given us in His word. We saw last time how Jesus is pictured in the feast of Passover. He is the true Passover Lamb. The feast before us today is tied to the first and in practice Unleavened Bread is simply an extension of the feast of Passover. Now like the first feast, there are some really interesting things to learn about the Lord in both the Biblical account and the Jewish observance of this feast. So lets start with the Biblical account.

The Biblical Commands for Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:15-20 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. (16) On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat--that is all you may do. (17) Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. (18) In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. (19) For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born. (20) Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread."

Leviticus 23:5-8 The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. (6) On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. (7) On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. (8) For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.' "

The feast of Unleavened Bread was a festival that begun on the day after Passover (ie the 15th Nisan) and lasted for seven days. Historically speaking, this feast was a celebration of the exodus in haste from Egypt.  The title of the feast gives the game away in terms of what was the major feature of this feast - it was a time of eating unleavened bread. In fact, the Biblical command given above is for each household to search and remove any leaven that may be in the house. So the question needs to be asked: Why has God got it in for leaven? What is so wrong with having leaven in the house during this time or in eating bread that includes leaven? Well? What's so wrong with that? I think a short detour concerning leaven in the Bible is called for...

The A B C's of leaven

Leaven, or yeast, is a fungus that ferments sugars and is used to cause dough to rise. Easton's Bible commentary states 'The use of leaven was strictly forbidden in all offerings made to the Lord by fire (Lev 2:11; Lev 7:12; Lev 8:2; Num 6:15). Its secretly penetrating and diffusive power is referred to in 1Cor 5:6... It is a figure also of corruptness and of perverseness of heart and life (Mat 16:6, Mat 16:11; Mar 8:15; 1Cor 5:7, 1Cor 5:8).'

It is worth looking again at how the Bible uses the imagery of leaven. Let's start with a general scripture that defines its overall usage and then we'll get more specific.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? (7) Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. (8) Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

It is clear that leaven is used in the general sense as a type for sin. It is used of this because of its properties of spreading and influencing everything around it. And even a little bit can have a big impact! As the Apostle Paul states, in speaking of the sin that the Corinthians alllowed, 'do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?' If we were going to be more specific, I would draw your attention to five specific sins that are mentioned in connection with leaven. Three of these are spoken by Christ and two by the Apostle Paul. Let's have a look:

Jesus is the unleavened bread

The unleavened bread speaks of the total sinlessness of Jesus Christ. Do you realise that if Jesus had committed but one sin then He could not have been the sacrifice for our sin? It was a lamb without defect that was sacrificed at Passover and it was bread without leaven that was eaten at the feast of unleavened bread. When you think of all the different ways that a person gets led into sin it is incredible that our Saviour lived HIs whole life without failing once! But that is what He did. The Bible record is clear on this: 'You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. (1 John 3:5) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Did not Jesus tell us that He is the true bread? He is the unleavened bread on whom we should feed.

John 6:32-35 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (34) Sir, they said, "from now on give us this bread." (35) Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

It is also worth noting that this feast was observed on the 15th Nisan for this is when Jesus was in the tomb having been taken down from the cross and buried late on the 14th Nisan. It all points to Christ! Now lets look at a couple of Jewish observances connected to this feast for they are amazing and full of instruction.

Jewish Observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: The Personal Application

We read above that the Biblical command concerning the feast of Unleavened Bread was for the Jews to remove any yeast (leaven) from their house. This became a tradition called 'Bedikat HaMetz' (meaning 'the search for leaven'). Chumney gives the details of this tradition as follows:

'The preparation for searching and removing the leaven from the house actually begins before Passover (Pesach). First, the wife thoroughly cleans the house to remove all leaven from it. In the Bible, leaven is symbolic of sin. In cleaning the house, the wife is instructed to purposely leave ten small pieces of leaven (bread) in the house. Then the father takes the children, along with a candle, a wooden spoon, a feather, and a piece of linen cloth, and searches through the house for the ten pieces of leaven. By nightfall on the day before Passover (Pesach), a final and comprehensive search is performed. At this time, the house is completely dark except for the candles. Once the father finds the leaven (bread), he sets the candle down by the leaven and lays the wooden spoon beside the leaven. Then he uses the feather to sweep the leaven onto the spoon. Without touching the leaven, he takes the feather, spoon, and leaven, wraps them in a linen cloth, and casts them out of the door of the house. The next morning (the fourteenth of Nisan), he goes into the synagogue and puts the linen cloth and its contents into a fire to be burned.'  

This is very instructive for our own lives in looking at what the personal aspect of this feast is for us. The house that contains the leaven is a picture of our lives and our bodies - the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16). The search for the leaven was a complete 'spring clean' of their entire house to ensure that no leaven had fallen into any little cracks. The candle that illuminates the room in the search for the leaven is a picture of the work of the word of God which is a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Once the leaven is found, the feather (representing the Holy Spirit who is often pictured as a Dove) sweeps the leaven (sin) onto the wooden spoon (a type of the wooden cross of Christ) which is used to remove the leaven (sin). This is all placed with in linen (the righteousness of Christ) and is judged by fire (representing the judgment that Christ bore in taking away OUR sin.)

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.¹³ For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. (8) Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

An outward example: Jesus clears out the leaven from His Father's house

As noted above, in preparation for Passover and Unleavened bread the Jews would clear out any and every speck of leaven that were in their homes. So... the question is 'did Jesus do this?' And if so, in what way did He do it? Jesus did do this. He specially cleared out the leaven that was in His Father's house. And note also the timing when this event occurred.

John 2:13-17 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (14) In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. (15) So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. (16) To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" (17) His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

Normally we would read over this without understanding the significance of the approaching Passover but once you understand the command of God to the Israelites to remove any leaven from their homes leading up to the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread, then the significance becomes all the more real. In driving out the money changes and salesmen, Jesus was removing the leaven from His Father's house in preparation for the coming Passover. It certainly makes you wonder what He would think/do to many churches in the West today! Now this event in John 2 occurred early in the ministry of Jesus. But it wasn't the only time that Jesus removed the leaven from His Father's house. In fact, even in the days leading up to His own death on the cross, Jesus again entered the temple and removed the leaven! This is expressed in the following scripture and follows straight on from the 'triumphant entry' into Jerusalem in that fateful final week.

Matthew 21:10-13 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" (11) The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." (12) Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. (13) It is written, he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.' "

Jewish Observance of the Feast of Unleavened bread: The Messianic Significance

In learning about the Jewish traditions surrounding each feast I was amazed at the truth that God has packed into each one. But one of the best in my opinion concerns the 'matzah' in the Seder ceremony that we discussed in the previous study on the Passover. Matzah is unleavened flat bread seen below. While there is some mystery surrounding its origin, this wonderful tradition apparently goes back before the time of Christ. So have a read of what the Jews do each and every year at the feasts of Passover and Unleavened bread and then we'll discuss its spiritual meaning and Messianic significance.

Isn't that amazing? Isn't it sad that the Jewish people can re-enact this year after year and still be ignorant of what this ceremony truly means? Isn't it going to be amazing when God again fulfills His promise to return, save, and open the eyes of His people Israel? How wonderful it will be when they see that to which they are now blinded in part. All of their feasts and ceremonies faithfully re-enacted over the centuries will be filled with such wonder and meaning for them! They will see that Jesus, the One that they pierced, is everywhere throughout their Torah!

Conclusion

The feast of unleavened bread points to Jesus as the bread from heaven that was without sin. He is the second or middle matzah that was removed from the three and was broken for our sake. This for me, is very instructive. And it is interesting that Jesus would have been acting this out at the last supper with His disciples. Can you remember when he took the bread at the last supper? What did He say?

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

Is it not amazing that Jesus would have been taking the second of the three portions of unleavened bread and breaking that? The Jews had performed this year after year but this was the first time that someone had said 'This is me! The breaking of this second loaf is me. This is my body which is given and will be broken, for you.' Does this not make communion more real? Hopefully it gives you something more to think about when you next celebrate the Lord's supper. Actually it is not something that you will think about but someone. The bread of Heaven who came down, was broken, hidden and then found by those who seek Him out! 

 

3. The Resurrection - Jesus in the Feast of First Fruits

---

This is the third in the Bible study series examining the feasts of the Lord. We saw that the first two feasts, Passover and Unleavened bread, had their Messianic fulfillment in the death and burial of the Lord Jesus. Any ideas what event this feast, first fruits, would then speak of? Ok, so it's best I don't give away prizes for getting this one right because it is hopefully pretty straight forward! The feast of first fruits is all about the resurrection of Jesus. Like the first two feasts, we shall find that God is very specific again on the day that this should be celebrated and for good reason as we shall see. So like the previous studies we will examine the biblical account and commands concerning this festival as well as the personal and Messianic fulfillments. Let's start with the Bible account that is given in Leviticus. 

The Biblical commands concerning the feast of firstfruits

Leviticus 23:9-14 The LORD said to Moses, (10) Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. (11) He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. (12) On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, (13) together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil--an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma--and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. (14) You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

The feast of Firstfruits has been called by a few different names. It's Hebrew name is 'Reshit Ketzivchem' which means 'the fruit of your harvest'. It is also known as the 'Feast of Omer' and the 'Feast of the Wave-sheath'.¹⁵ The feasts of God are based around different harvest times.

The barley harvest arrived first in the March/April period. So this feast of the firstfruits was to do with the barley harvest. Then came the wheat harvest normally around May and was associated with the feast of weeks (Pentecost). Finally the fruit harvest (grapes, figs, pomegranates etc) came later around September and were associated with the fall feasts. So God instructed the Israelites that before reaping the barley harvest they were to take a sheaf of the first grain to the priest who would wave it before the Lord. As they waved the firstfruits to the left and the right, it was symbolising that this sheaf that they had represented the entire crop. Until they did this the rest of their crop was not 'kosher' (acceptable). They did this to acknowledge and thank the Lord for the coming harvest and to ask His blessing upon it. It was to be a joyous occasion trusting that the One who gave them the firstfruits would also bless the full harvest. As well as waving the sheaf before the Lord, they were to offer a burnt offering and a drink offering. They were not to eat bread or continue the harvest until this offering of the firstfruits had been made to the Lord.

Now there was a specific day on which they were to do this. No date is given (as is given in several of the other feasts) but following the feast of Unleavened Bread this feast was to occur 'on the day after the Sabbath'. So this feast was to occur on the first day of the week after Passover/Unleavened Bread.

The Messianic Fulfillment of firstfruits

We are not left in any doubt as to how this feast was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us clearly:

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (21) For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. (22) For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (23) But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Christ fulfilled the feast of firstfruits by being the firstfruits of the resurrection. Others in the Bible (such as Lazarus and Jairus' daughter) had been raised from the dead prior to Christ's resurrection but they were resurrected back into their old bodies which would eventually die again. Jesus was the first to be raised into a new resurrection body, never to die again! So He is the 'sheaf', the first of the harvest, that is waved before the Lord in celebration and with thanksgiving. In his book 'Thus shalt thou serve' C.W Slemming writes this little interesting point: 'When the sheaves were cut from the fields and carried to the city, small vacant spots were left behind. When the Lord rose from the dead, He left behind Him a small vaccant spot, which still remains as a reminder of His resurrection - it is an empty tomb!'

And just as the sheaf was waved to represent the entire harvest to the left and the right, so the resurrection of Jesus was not just for Himself. He represented the many that 'shall come from the east and the west' (Mat 8:11) to faith in Him and be raised from the dead as well! As the offerings that were made on the feast of firstfruits were a sweet savor to God¹⁶, how much greater was the sweetness on the day Jesus rose from the dead? Corresponding to the fact that the crop was not kosher until the firstfruits were waved before God, so it took the resurrection of the Jesus to make us acceptable to God - Romans 4:25 'He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.' Or, as Paul said: 1 Corinthians 15:17 'And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.'  

But thank God that death could not hold Him down! And what of the day that this was to happen? We read above that this wave offering before the Lord of the firstfruits was to occur 'the day after the Sabbath'. This is the first day of the week - Sunday - The day that Jesus rose from the dead!¹⁷

Mark 16:9 Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene...' ¹⁸

A closer look at the date of resurrection - The Mystery of the 17th

I have previously written a study on 'The mystery of the 17th' based on the interesting events that have occurred on this day in the Old Testament. I would like to give a quick summary of these events here for they are all linked and are types of this day that Jesus was raised. So to quickly recap, the Passover lambs were sacrificed on the 14th Nisan. This is the day Jesus died. The feast of unleavened bread started the next day, on the 15th Nisan. This was when Jesus was buried in the tomb. The day after the Sabbath was the feast of firstfruits - this was the 17th Nisan. Which brings us to our question...Apart from the feast of firstfruits, what other events occurred on this day and what do they have to do with 'resurrection'? Argh... now you are asking the right kind of questions!

The personal fulfillment of the feast of Firstfruits

The good thing about the word 'firstfruits' is the word 'first'. If there is a first, then there will be others that follow. Hopefully that includes you! This is what Paul was teaching in the Corinthian passage quoted above. Have a look at it again:

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (21) For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. (22) For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (23) But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Paul is reminding us that Jesus' resurrection is a guarantee of our resurrection (as long as we belong to Him!) He has been raised and has a new resurrection body but the same will happen to all that are His at the right time. And that right time is the return of Jesus Christ for His bride. This will be covered in a lot more detail in the 'Feast of Trumpets'. Using the imagery of a grain of wheat going down into the ground Jesus said:

John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Believers in Jesus Christ are the many 'seeds' that He spoke about. He fell into the ground and died but He didn't remain there! He rose up again and in like manner, the 'many seeds' - those that believe in Him, will do likewise. And they will have a new body like unto His new body.

1 Corinthians 15:41-44 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. (42) So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; (43) it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; (44) it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

But we shouldn't just think that we are to wait until His return to have new life. No. The personal aspect of firstfruits reminds us that we are new creations now. Yes, we still live in a fallen world in a fallen body so, just as you may have possibly experienced, that brings with it one, two or a few thousand issues with it... But praise God that believers in Him have been born again, are a new creation in Him, and have been given the Holy Spirit to be in us what we are not. And even this gift of the Spirit is mentioned in terms of being a 'firstfruits'. There is so much more still to come!

Romans 8:22-23 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (23) Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

We are new creations with the Spirit of God. In light of this, our personal response and fulfillment of this feast is be 'consecrated' unto Him and offer ourselves back to the Lord for His use.

Romans 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

At the personal level, the feast of Unleavened Bread spoke of being separated FROM sin/leaven. The feast of firstfruits speaks of being separated UNTO the Lord (consecrated).

A further look at the harvests

As mentioned earlier, the three main harvest in Israel revolved around the barley, wheat and fruit harvests. Norton (Unlocking the secrets of the feasts, page 40,41) sees a parallel here with the three main spiritual harvests throughout the ages.

The barley harvest came first where they use a process called winnowing to toss the barley kernels into the wind to separate the kernel from the chaff. Norton writes: 'The head of the barley is very soft and easily crushed. This reminds me of the birth of the church at Pentecost where the Holy Spirit came like a wind and indwelt believers as reported in Acts 2:1-2... In the order of the resurrections, the church is first to be resurrected, just as the barley is the first to be harvested.'

The wheat harvest was next. Norton writes 'Since the head of the wheat is hard, it must be threshed or crushed to separate the wheat from the chat A man who is threshing the wheat stands on a large board, which has bits of glass underneath it, and is pulled by a horse over the wheat to do the crushing. I found it quite telling that the board is called by a Latin word: "tribulum". Many people. including Jews. will come to Christ in the tribulation²⁰, as noted in Revelation 7:9 - 14. It is interesting that you can also tell the difference between a field of wheat and a field of barley. While the heads of the stock of barley bend down like they are bowing in humility (see picture above), the heads of the stocks of wheat stay straight up. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 31:27 where Moses sail to the children of Israel: 'For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death?' The church will he resurrected first (the barley). while those who become believers in the tribulation (the wheat) shall be resurrected during the tribulation if they die in that period. In a sense they were harvested under the crushing of the "tribulum".'

Finally we have the fruit harvest in the Autumn (Fall) season. This is the last of the harvests and in scripture applies to unbelievers. Revelation speaks in graphic detail of this harvest unto judgement. We read: Revelation 14:15-20 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." ...(18) Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and  gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." (19) So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. (20) And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

Conclusion

Previously we have looked at how the feasts have portrayed the death and burial of Jesus. But this feast of Firstfruits celebrates, through the priest waving the sheaf before the Lord, the glorious resurrection of the Lord. Because He was accepted, so are all those in Him. Because He was resurrected, so will those who belong to Him. Don't you think it is amazing truth that God has hidden in each of these feasts? I certainly do. God has laid out the plan for the seven major events of human history! The next feast is equally as instructive for it outlines the exact day on which the Holy Spirit will come and indwell the bride of Christ.

4. The Comforter - The Holy Spirit in the Feast of Pentecost

---

The last study looked at the resurrection of Jesus Christ as shown in the feast of firstfruits. So what do you think would be the next big historical event that God would want to advertise in advance through the feasts? That's right - Pentecost! This feast, also known as the feast of weeks, would speak about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the start of the Church. Again, like the previous feasts, there are some great nuggets of truth here as we investigate the Jewish and prophetic significance of this feast. Let's have a look. 

The Biblical commands concerning the feast of Pentecost

Leviticus 23:15-22 'From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. (16) Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. (17) From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast (leaven), as a wave offering of firstfruits to the LORD. (18) Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings--an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. (19) Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. (20) The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. (21) On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. (22) 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'

The instructions from God were to count 50 days from the day after the Sabbath, which was the feast of firstfruits, until the next feast takes place. Hence from where we get the name 'Pentecost' which means 'fiftieth'. So the count of 50 days begins on the day after the Sabbath (the Sunday) following the Passover. hence it starts and ends on the 1st day of the week - Sunday. This is obviously significant in relation to the day on which the church now meets. Jesus rose on the first day or the week, the Holy Spirit came on the first day of the week and the Church began officially on the first day of the week. It all speaks of new life and a new beginning.²¹

The feast of Weeks/Pentecost was a celebration of the wheat harvest that was coming to a close at this time. Now from the passage above you will see that the number two is very prominent at this feast. There are two wave offerings to the Lord. These are of the two loaves and the two lambs. We will look at what this is all about in the next section on the prophetic fulfillment of this feast but for now I just want to draw it to your attention so you can think about it! And while you are using your brain, how about thinking on this... the two loaves of bread that are waved before the Lord contain leaven! From what we have seen about leaven in the previous study on 'Unleavened bread' where it is clearly used in the Bible as a type of sin, why would this offering be specifically commanded to include leaven?

The last point worth mentioning as we look at the biblical instructions concerning this feast is that the day of Pentecost is to be a special Sabbath on which they do no work. This also is instructive as we shall see. Ok... enough clues. Let's start solving this mystery!

The Prophetic Fulfillment of Pentecost

There are several aspects to the Biblical instructions that have prophetic significance. They are:

The specific prophetic fulfillment of this day: This is perfectly clear for it is given us in scripture. The specific day on which this feast met it's fulfillment is on the day of Pentecost following the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. This day was the start of the church and the coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had instructed His believers to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Comforter, the power from on high. And so we read in the word of God that:

Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came²², they were all together in one place. (2) Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

The fifty days unto the feast: The wording mimics that of the year of Jubilee. The year of Jubilee comes after 7 periods of 7 years (49 years) and then the following year, the 50th, is the year of Jubilee which is about liberty. Amongst other things those in debt were released from those debts. It was the year of freedom and redemption. Pentecost is the same as this but on a day scale instead of years. They would count 7 lots of 7 days (49 days) and then the following 50th day was the day of Pentecost. It too was a day of liberty and freedom with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The wave offering of two loaves and two lambs: The day of Pentecost was not only about the coming of the Holy Spirit - it was the birth of the church. It is the believers making up the church that are represented by the two loaves. But why two? The two loaves speak of the two groups of people that make up the church - Jewish and Gentile believers.

'For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit' (I Corinthians 12:12-13). 

And what of the lamb sacrifice? This was not required when the unleavened bread was waved before the Lord in that feast. Why? Because that represented the Lord Jesus who had no sin. But two lambs were offered to the Lord as a sin offering at this time showing that both people groups, Jews and Gentiles, are accepted through the sacrifice of the lamb of God.

The leaven being included in the loaves as well as fine flour: The two loaves included two specific ingredients that are mentioned: Leaven and fine flour. Why include leaven for the first time? Because the wave offering of these loaves speaks of the Jews and Gentiles that make up the church and they still have sin (though that sin is covered by the sacrifice of the lamb.) But it also has fine flour. This is the righteousness of Christ that is evident in the new nature. What amazing truth this offering gives us! As believers, have we not all seen that there is a new nature as well as the old? There is still leaven (sin from the old nature) but also fine flour (righteousness of Christ)

The special Sabbath on the day of this feast: God wanted this day of Pentecost to be a special Sabbath. No work was to be done. The reason is obvious - the salvation that we obtain, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, cannot come through works. All works must cease and the gift must be received by grace through faith.

Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, (5) he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (6) whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The Historical Jewish Significance of Pentecost

For the nation of Israel, the feast of weeks (Pentecost) looked back as a celebration of their history when they were given the law. According to the Jewish writings, this feast occurs on the exact day that Moses received the law on Mount Sinai²³. So it is interesting to contrast the events of the giving of the law with the parallel events on the day of Pentecost in the New Testament. Let's look at a some passages plus one comment from the Jewish writings.

Exodus 19:9-22 The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." ... On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. (17) Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. (18) Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, (19) and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (20) The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up (21) and the LORD said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. (22) Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them." 

Exodus 20:18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.

Commenting on verse Exodus 20:18 Edward Chumney makes the following comment about the Jewish tradition concerning this:

'Note that it does not say "the thunder" but "the thunderings"; wherefore, R. Johanan said that G-d's voice, as it was uttered split up into seventy voices, in seventy languages, so that all the nations should understand... The 70 voices as interpreted by R. Johanan represented all the nations of the world, based upon Deuteronomy (Devarim) 32:8 and Exodus (Shemot ) 1:1-5. So, it was seen that G-d's voice split up into the languages of all the people on the earth to be a witness to them.'

Exodus 32:19-28 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. (20) And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it... Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. (26) So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him. (27) Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.' " (28) The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

So what have we seen above? We have seen that at the giving of the law, which is traditionally believed to be the same day as the day of Pentecost, God descended from Heaven upon Mount Sinai in fire, thunderings and the sound of the trumpet. It was a fearsome sight! According to Jewish tradition, the voice of the Lord was actually heard in 70 different languages so that all nations could hear the law. But the people still rebelled while Moses was away and built and worshipped a golden calf. This led to a confrontation where 'about three thousand of the people died'.

Let's contrast this with the fulfillment on the feast of Pentecost...

Acts 2:1-8 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. (2) Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. (4) All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (5) Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. (6) When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. (7) Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? (8) Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?

Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

On the day of Pentecost the presence of God again came down upon His people. The 'fire' this time were 'tongues of fire' that rested upon the people and enabled them to speak in other tongues. Instead of the sound of thunder this time it was the sound of a violent rushing wind. Like Sinai where the voice of God was heard by the 70 nations in their own language (according to Jewish tradition) the word of God was heard by all the nationalities present, again in their own language, as the Holy Spirit spoke through the disciples. Amazing! And in contrast to the giving of the law, where 'about 3000' people died, on the day of Pentecost 'about 3000' were saved! Awesome!

The Personal Fulfillment of Pentecost

The feast of Pentecost reminds us of the incredible importance of relying upon the work of God's Spirit to both enter and live the Christian life. We should avoid at all costs the error that the Galatian church fell into where Paul had to rebuke them with the following question:

Galatians 3:2-3 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? (3) Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

There are several contrasts which show how much better it is through the New Covenant and the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell believers. Whereas the law given to Moses was written on tablets of stone, the church is founded on the New Covenant where the law is written into our hearts (Jer 31:33, 2 Cor 3:3). Just having the law brings death (Rom 7:10) but the Spirit brings life (John 6:63, 2 Cor 3:6). The law was called a ministry of death and condemnation (2 Cor 3:7,9) where as the Spirit is a ministry of glory (2 Cor 3:8-9). The law was based on blood sacrifices but the blood of Jesus through the New Covenant speaks a far better word (Heb 12:24).

Thus when Paul writes to the Ephesians he reminds them again of the source of their victory saying:

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

The Greek tense for 'be filled' is a continuous action. In other words, it is telling you to keep on being filled with God's Spirit. It is not a one off occurrence. It is continuous..²⁴

Conclusion

To sum it up pretty briefly:

1st Pentecost for Israel - there were signs, wonders and the presence of God. God gave His law - 3000 died!
1st Pentecost for Church - there were signs, wonders and the presence of God. God gave His Holy Spirit - 3000 saved!

We have seen that the feast of weeks, or Pentecost, was fulfilled to the exact day as well like the previous feasts. I've said it before but I'll say it again - How amazing is God to give us this amazing outline of His calendar in His word? From this point on however, things get even more interesting. You see, from this point on we move from historically fulfilled feasts to prophetic events that are still to be fulfilled. The next feast if that of Trumpets. And how amazing it would be to be the generation that sees this feast fulfilled!

 

5. The Rapture - Jesus in the Feast of Trumpets

---

If you are a Christian, one day soon your day will be interrupted by the sound of a trumpet. And, unlike when it's just your neighbour, this trumpet blast will not disappoint or annoy! Unlike your neighbour's (or is it your son's?) effort, this will actually be music to your ears. This sound will be heavenly and will be followed by a command for you to 'come up here'. This is the next feast and the next prophetic event to come. So far we have looked at the first four spring feasts and have seen that each of these was fulfilled to the exact day during the first coming of Jesus. The last three feasts, beginning with the feast of trumpets, come later in the year during the fall (Autumn) season. And the interesting thing about these three remaining feasts (Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles) is that they have not been fulfilled at any point of history so far... they all await the return of the Messiah! As we study this topic together I think you will see that God has placed (even hidden) amazing truth concerning His overall plan to redeem this world within these feasts. This Bible study will examine how it points to the next major event on the prophetic horizon - the rapture and resurrection of His bride!

Before we begin... one 'sneaky' verse

Leviticus 23:22 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'

As you are probably aware by now, Leviticus 23 is the main chapter giving instruction on all of the feasts in order. The last feast we looked at, Pentecost, ended in verse 21. The feast of Trumpets is given in verse 23. Between those is this little verse mentioned above. It gives instruction concerning the harvest that God remembers the poor and the alien (strangers to Israel) and that Israel was to do likewise. Now why is this in there? Or more correctly, why did God place this verse between the feasts of Pentecost and Trumpets? You can just take it as general instruction that He cares for the poor and those outside of Israel (which is certainly true) but in that all of this chapter is also prophetic in nature, I believe there is more to this verse than the obvious.

The Biblical commands concerning the Feast of Trumpets

Leviticus 23:23-25 The LORD said to Moses, (24) Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. (25) Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.' "

Now, it is fair to say that God doesn't give the whole game away concerning the feast of Trumpets in this passage. In fact, apart from stating that the day, the first of the seventh month (Tishrei 1) should be commemorated by the blowing of trumpets, not much else is given. We are told that no work is to be done on this day and an offering to the Lord by fire should be made. So we may have to look elsewhere to see why the trumpets were blown. A useful passage is Numbers chapter 10:

Numbers 10:1-10 The LORD said to Moses: (2) Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. (3) When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. (4) If only one is sounded, the leaders--the heads of the clans of Israel--are to assemble before you. (5) When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. (6) At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. (7) To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal. (8) The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. (9)  When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies. (10) Also at your times of rejoicing--your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals--you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God."

We'll address what this means spiritually later but for now, it is also worth noting that the trumpet blown at the feasts was the shofar - the ram's horn. Chumney gives an interesting list of the occasions throughout scripture where it was used.²⁵ Notice also that like the instruction given to the feasts, this was to be a lasting ordinance for all the generations to come. 

The days of Awe

As mentioned earlier, the feast of Trumpets starts on the Jewish month of Tishrei 1. It is a two day feast (Tishrei 1-2) because the feast requires the sighting of the new moon and then the sighting had to be reported to the priests. Because of the uncertainty of when exactly this will occur, it is celebrated over two days. Tishrei 1 to the day of Atonement on Tishrei 10 are collectively called 'the days of Awe'. They are the most solemn and holy days in the entire Jewish year. In fact, preparing for this time even starts in the previous month. The previous month of Elul starts a 40 day period known as Teshuvah (meaning repent or return) which concludes on the day of Atonement in the following month of Tishrei. For each day during Elul, the trumpet (ram's horn) is blown to remind to the people to return to God in preparation for the upcoming 'days of Awe' between Tishrei 1-10. Everyone had to search their own hearts during this period and make sure they were right with God.

The prophetic fulfillment

So... how is this feast going to find its prophetic fulfillment? I think it is fair to say that the feast of Trumpets is probably the most debated feast in terms of its fulfillment²⁶. Is it the rapture of the church? Is it the regathering of Israel? Is it the 7th trumpet that is blown in Revelation when 'the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord'? Prior to my recent study of this feast, I believed, as some others do, that the feast of Trumpets found it's fulfillment in the blowing of the 'Great trumpet' used in the regathering of Israel prior to the second coming of Jesus as mentioned in Matt 24:31 and Isaiah 27:13. I now believe this is associated with the day of Atonement. The more I examine this topic, the more evidence there is that the feast of Trumpets finds it's fulfillment in the rapture of the Church and its connected resurrection of those 'in Christ'. I also believe that the entire 'days of Awe' period mentioned above finds its fulfillment in the coming 7 year period often stated as 'the day of Jacob's trouble' or 'Daniel's 70th week' which leads up to the return of Christ at His second coming in glory (fulfilling the day of Atonement). But all of this is preceded by the feast of Trumpets. It is what kicks this whole period off. And that event, as stated above, is fulfilled I believe at the rapture/resurrection of the church. The following chart may help make it clearer.

Now the reasons for believing that the feast of trumpets is fulfilled at the rapture/resurrection of the Church become all the more clear as we look at the names and theme's that are well known and established in Jewish thought surrounding the feast of Trumpets. Let's do that now.  

Jewish names and themes for the feast of Trumpets

The following gives the Jewish names and themes for this feast as well as the prophetic significance and fulfillment.

The Personal Aspect

In the 'Introduction and overview of the feasts' study, we noted that the personal aspect of the feast of trumpets centered on the believer being watchful and ready. Trumpets were used to alert the people of God. Because trumpets were also used in the battles that Israel fought, the personal aspect also speaks of the spiritual warfare that a believer experiences. These two aspects are related and are beginning to converge in our age. The 'attacks' upon the believer are increasing in our age. Spiritual warfare is increasing. Persecution of Christian believers has been common outside of the Western countries but as we approach the time of the fulfillment of the feast of trumpets I don't believe it will be at all easy to hold to a true Christian faith in any part of the world. Believer, you need to watch! Watch and be aware of what is happening in this world. Watch for the coming of the Lord. Watch and guard your own heart. Is worldliness choking your fruitfulness and passion for the Lord or are you growing in the Lord and desiring to help others? Are you staying alert or getting sleepy? The warning of the Lord concerning the difficult days that lie before us was this:

Matthew 24:12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold...

Don't allow that to happen in your heart. Understand that there is a full, real time battle going on for your heart and life. Be like the wise virgins who were found ready when the groom returned.

Conclusion

Can you remember what we said the blowing of the trumpets were for in Israel's history? We looked at four aspects given to us from Numbers chapter 10. Totally forgotten? That's ok... As far as I know, there isn't going to be a memory test at the gates of Heaven! Here they are again:

Can you see now how these will all be fulfilled at the rapture? The blowing of the heavenly trumpet will be a call for the entire, true, bride of Christ to assemble together. That place, according to 1 Thes 4, will be in the air! And when I say 'the whole congregation' that is what I mean. God will not leave one true believer out of this. Not even those that are already dead, for the amazing thing is that the dead in Christ will rise first and then we which are alive will meet them in the air. That is one big assembly! But that is what the Lord will do... He will assemble the entire congregation together for the first time. Secondly, the heavenly trumpet is a call to set out to our new destination. And we are not talking Italy, Hawaii or the Bahamas here. The new destination is the heavenly Promised Land. It is the city of God - the new Jerusalem. Thus, for the people of God, we see how the third aspect is fulfilled at this time for the rapture will be a time of rejoicing just as there was rejoicing around the feasts. And lastly we see that the heavenly trumpet will signal a time of battle and war for those still on the earth. It is the sound of alarm for those left behind. As the prophet Joel spoke about:

Joel 2:1-2 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-- (2) a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.

Like I said at the beginning of this study - we are approaching the time when the heavenly trumpet will be heard. Jesus is coming soon. Run your race well... Finish the race well... For the new day could well dawn quicker than you think!